MORE schools in Hampshire and Southampton have being rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted, a new report has revealed.

Secondary schools saw the biggest rise on 2017 with 75 per cent in Southampton rated the top two marks, with a further 85 per cent in the rest of Hampshire.

This means that eight per cent more city schools were praised this year than last, and six per cent more in the county.

Primary schools in Southampton are also getting better. Ofsted rated 80 per cent of them as Good or Outstanding – up four per cent on the previous year. In Hampshire, 91 per cent were commended, but this was down one per cent on 2017.

In comparison, in the South East, 89 per cent of primary schools were rated the top two marks, the same as 2017, and 83 per cent of secondary schools praised, which is up three per cent on the year before.

Nationally, 87 per cent of primary schools were rated Good or Outstanding – down one per cent, and 75 per cent of secondary schools recieved those marks too, which is the same as the year before.

Councillor Darren Paffey, Southampton City Council’s Cabinet Member for Aspiration, Schools and Lifelong Learning, said: “This is a great step in the right direction. Southampton’s primary schools are rated among the most improved in the south east and our secondary schools are attaining the national level.

“These figures show that pupils across the city are able to succeed and reach their potential in our schools. I’d like to pay tribute to the hard work that is going on in all our schools and from our education partners. The council is supporting our schools and also challenging them when improvements are needed. This is a fantastic achievement and we recognise that there’s more work to do, but we’re confident we will see further progression in academic standards in the coming years.”

Chris Russell, Ofsted’s South East director, said: “I’m really pleased that, in the South East, we have maintained our high education standards and care for children in early years, school, and post 16.

“This consistency is no mean feat and is a true testament to the hard work of staff, teachers, children and parents.”